Sunday, July 20, 2008

Yay for Camping!We took Elijah camping with us this past week. We camped near a lake in Wisconsin with the Wagner side of the family. I’ll admit, we were a bit nervous to take our little eleven month old camping with us (yep- he’s now eleven months!!! Can you believe it?), but Elijah did just great. He hardly fussed and really seemed to enjoy himself. He “swam” in the lake for the first time and went in a paddleboat. He loved the daily bonfires and got lots of attention from his grandparents and aunties. It was a really relaxing, fun time. It was great for Andy and me, too. We got to do some things we typically don’t have the opportunity to do while at home. We went kayaking and did lots of reading (Andy was able to read an entire book!). It is nice to be back at home and sleeping in our own beds, but we had a wonderful, fantastic time and I’m once again really proud of my little guy. He’s so easygoing and happy – and he loves camping! What an awesome kid we have. :)

ChewbaccaIn the new skills department, Elijah seems to understand the concept of chewing a bit more. We think he’s using his tongue to push his food around in his mouth, which is really awesome. The ability to eat goes hand in hand with the ability to talk, so that’s probably why he’s also been making more of those noises I mentioned in an earlier post. I can’t wait until he looks at me and says, “Mama!” It makes my heart melt just thinking about it.

ClappingHe’s also using his hands to clap now, although I don’t think that he understands the concept of clapping. It’s just something that he does, but it shows us that he’s becoming more aware of his hands. Whenever he does clap, I try to say “patty-cake” or “clapping” so that’ll make the connection.

I seemingly recount every minute detail of Elijah’s life, don’t I? Sometimes when I write them down, the changes seem so tiny. But, I also know how huge each tiny “inchstone” is. I know that he can’t do the big things until he does the small things first. He can’t say mama if he can’t babble and he probably can’t babble without being able to chew. Who knew, right? I doubt most parents even notice such things. Perhaps they do. I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been a parent in a “typical” situation, so I have no idea what kind of parent I would have been – or what I would have paid attention to.

The thing I’d love if you’d all pray for now is the use of Elijah’s arms. His fine motor skills seem to be the most behind and it seems to be difficult for him to control his arms. He does have some use, as he has played peek-a-boo with me and can turn on switch toys, but they are simply not as strong as his legs. I want some crawling! (Oh, and some babbling, walking, talking...yada yada yada) It’s not too much to ask is it?!

Thanks to all you faithful readers out there (I don’t know what we’d do without our Elijah “fans”) - I hope this finds you all well. :)

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About Elijahland

This is a story of overcoming the odds, putting trust in God, and the miracle of prayer. Our son, Elijah, was born in August of 2007. As a result of the oxygen deprivation that occured during his birth he spent his first three (agonizing) weeks in the hospital. When he was seven days old, we were told that Elijah had "severe brain damage" on both sides of his brain. At that moment we entered Elijahland and we've been here ever since. We're learning to live with the diagnoses Elijah has started to accumulate, but mostly we're grateful that God chose us to be his parents. It is truly a privilege to live in Elijahland with our handsome boy. Thanks for visiting.